Breakdown of Öğrenciler zor problemi çözdüler.
öğrenci
student
zor
difficult
problem
problem
çözmek
to solve
Questions & Answers about Öğrenciler zor problemi çözdüler.
Is it required to use the plural ending -ler on the verb çözdüler since the subject Öğrenciler is already plural?
Actually, no! In Turkish, when the subject is a plural human word (like öğrenciler), adding the plural suffix -ler to the verb is optional. You could perfectly well say Öğrenciler zor problemi çözdü. Using çözdüler just adds a bit of emphasis.
Why does the past tense suffix take the form -dü in çözdüler?
The verb root is çöz- (to solve). To form the past tense, we add -di, -dı, -du, or -dü depending on 4-way vowel harmony. Since the vowel in çöz is ö, the suffix must use the vowel ü, giving us çözdü (he/she/it solved). Then we add -ler to make it 'they solved'.
Why does the word problem have an -i at the end to make it problemi?
The -i is the specific direct object suffix. Because the students solved a specific problem (the difficult one we are talking about), Turkish requires this ending to show it is the direct receiver of the action.
Why doesn't the adjective zor get an ending to match problemi?